You Might Die Trying

AN: I have to thank all of you for the reviews. I am horrible about responding to them, but trust me each one of them means a lot. Basically, your reviews have kept this story alive. So if you're a lurker… don't be shy! I don't bite! And your review will help me keep going.

This is the second to last chapter. There will be an epilogue. But we're nearing the end, folks. Hard to believe, I know.

Disclaimer: I don't own Greys.

Chapter 35: Down the Line

"I see problems down the line.

I know that I'm right.

Don't let the darkness eat you up."

- Jose Gonzalez

Meredith's hands clutched at the armrests of her wheelchair. Images of the car and Dr. Taylor lying unconscious beside her swarmed inside of her shattered mind. But she waded through the wreckage of the events of that night; she fought against the constant flashes of Dr. Taylor, of the car lurching, of the blood on her clothes and hands. She battled against the horror to find the good. To see the face that had helped her out of the car; that had unknowingly rescued her from death.

She raised her head, urging herself to meet Samantha's concerned gaze. A hesitant smile appeared on Meredith's pale face. "Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you for saving me."

Samantha took a step closer to Meredith. "You don't have to thank me."

"I do. I – " Meredith's voice fell away, her emotions trapped inside. She attempted to swallow them down, but failed. A solitary tear dripped from her broken stare. She raised her hand, wiping it away. Embarrassment flooded her. She was crying in the hallway of this hospital, the place where she worked. She couldn't do this. Not here.

Cristina moved out from behind her, rounding the wheelchair to face Meredith. "Mer," Cristina said. She lightly reached forward and placed her hands on top of Meredith's. "Do you want – "

"Derek." Meredith breathed. "I need…"

Her voice trailed off, but Cristina knew. Cristina stood instantly, moving to push Meredith forward; to allow her to see the person that she desperately needed right now. Cristina guided her forward, the Chief and Samantha trialing behind them. Inside of Meredith and Derek's hospital room, Derek slept in the bed that they had been sharing ever since they had been reunited. Cristina slowed the wheelchair as they neared the side of the bed, allowing Meredith to move instantly out of the chair and into the bed. Derek stirred as she crawled beneath the covers, his eyes instantly searching hers.

"Meredith?" Derek asked. His arms wrapped around her body, pulling her closer towards him. "You ok?" He whispered into her hair.

Meredith's grip on Derek's body tightened. She pressed her face into his chest, wanting to disappear inside of him.

When she didn't respond, Derek looked up for the first time at the crowd in the room. His eyes landed on the only person that he did not know in the room. He stared at her intently, challenging her to look away, but she didn't. She stared back with a look of concern and empathy. He turned away, his gaze dropping down to the woman in his arms once more.

"Meredith?" Derek repeated.

Meredith's tiny fists squeezed at his upper arms. "I'm just-"

"What?" Derek interrupted. "What is it? What happened?"

"I can't stop seeing it." Meredith cried. "I can't stop…" Her voice faltered, a tiny sob falling from her lips. "I can feel him… on me. I can feel him touching me…"

Derek's arms tightened around her. He closed his eyes, trying to block the images that were floating around in his mind. He didn't want to see Meredith being touched by that man. He didn't want to even think about it.

"Meredith," he said gently. "Meredith, look at me."

Meredith's lips trembled as she pulled away from Derek's chest and looked up at the man that was holding her so firmly in his arms.

Derek stared at her. His heart breaking as he saw the tears pooling in her blue eyes. He leaned forward, placing a tender kiss on her lips before he let his forehead rest against hers. "See me. Don't see him. That part is over." He reminded her gently. "It's over, baby."

"Derek..." Meredith swallowed. A tear tracked down her cheek. She pressed her forehead harder against his, loving the feel of his skin against her own.

"It's over." Derek repeated. He raised a hand from her back and touched her cheek, gently caressing her skin. "Look at me." He waited until her eyes met his again. "I'm here. It's over."

Meredith nodded against him. The pools of water in her eyes drained, causing tears to splash onto her already damp cheeks. She breathed in, focusing on Derek's soft, gentle touch instead of the rapid-fire of images that were exploding in her head. After several minutes she finally moved, pushing herself off of Derek. She swiped at her cheeks with the back of her hands, brushing away the signs of her weakness before she turned to face the three people that stood awkwardly in the room, waiting for either one of them to say something.

Derek continued to watch her as she slowly began to pull herself back together. He knew that this wasn't over. He knew that this was just the first one of many breakdowns that she was going to have over the course of her recovery. But as he watched her fall apart, as he watched the tears form and the fear settle in, he couldn't help but feel grateful; grateful that he wasn't falling apart; that he could be there for her fully and wholly. He was able to be the rock that she needed him to be, and for that he was grateful.

Meredith squeezed Derek's hands. "You need to meet someone."

Derek frowned. "Who?"

"Samantha," Meredith said. She glanced at the beautiful woman that stood beside the Chief before she motioned for Samantha to come closer. As Samantha approached the bed, Meredith looked up at Derek. "She saved me, Derek. This is the woman that saved me."

"You saved yourself," Samantha said nervously. "I just… I helped you. I provided a helping hand when you needed one. That's all."

"It was more than that," Meredith said firmly. "You pulled me from that car. You got me away from him." She watched Samantha. She watched as Samantha registered what she was saying and what she wasn't saying. "You saved me."

Silence fell over the room. Meredith and Samantha watched each other as Derek registered everything that was being said by Meredith and by Samantha. Samantha had saved Meredith. Meredith was alive because of Samantha, otherwise… he stopped himself there, not wanting to think of the alternative. His gaze moved from Meredith to Samantha. This woman had given him his life back. She had saved two lives the day she pulled Meredith out of the car.

Meredith cleared her throat, glancing quickly at the Chief and Cristina. "I don't want to…" She stopped swallowing back the lump that had formed in her throat. "I mean, is there any way that you two could…"

"Of course," the Chief said. "Yang and I will leave you three alone."

The Chief moved towards the door with Cristina trailing behind him. They exited the room together, neither looking back at the trio that was left behind.

Derek withdrew one of his arms from Meredith's body, extending it forward towards Samantha. "Derek."

Samantha extended her own hand, grasping Derek's in her own. "Samantha."

"I don't know if there is any adequate way to thank you," Derek said as he released her hand. "I don't… I just, thank you."

Samantha's face reddened instantly. "I didn't... this isn't… I mean…" She closed her mouth and took a deep breath before starting again. "This wasn't why I decided to come here. I just, I needed to make sure that Meredith was alright. I needed to follow through."

"I am." Meredith chewed on her lower lip. "I don't remember much from when you pulled me from the car. I just… I remember you being there – "

"You were calling for him," Samantha admitted softly. "You were calling for Derek."

Derek's hands tightened on Meredith's body. "Was he dead?"

"Who?" Samantha asked, confused.

"The driver," Meredith explained. "He kidnapped me. I had been… I had gotten control of the car but then… he… he slowly picked at me and I couldn't… he surprised me. He slammed on the breaks and… that's when you found us."

"I knew you had been kidnapped." Samantha breathed. "The cops… they told me once they figured out who you were. I didn't…I didn't check on the driver, I stayed with you. I tried to help you. You wanted out of the car… away from him."

"Yeah." Meredith laughed bitterly. "I can only imagine why."

Derek weaved his hand through Meredith's hair. "So stubborn."

"I couldn't be in that car anymore with him." Meredith frowned. "I couldn't stand to be in his presence. He had tried to… "

"Meredith…" Derek interrupted. "Don't. Don't go back there."

Meredith closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. "I know. I just…" She looked at Samantha. "I cannot thank you enough for helping me."

"Don't thank me," Samantha said, shaking her head. "Just help yourself. Get better. Live your life and move on from this. That's the best that we can all hope for."

Meredith nodded. A fresh batch of tears forming in her puffy eyes. "You're right. I don't want this to be it. I'd like to keep in touch with you… if that's possible. If you're okay with that."

"Of course," Samantha said. "Just let me write it down." She reached towards the nightstand, grabbing the pen and paper that sat on top of it. Her right hand trembled as she wrote her name and number on the paper. It wasn't until she wrote the final number that her hand stopped shaking. She dropped the pen onto the pad of paper and took a step back, staring at the couple that rested in the bed in front of her. She smiled. "I'm glad that I could give you this. I'm glad that you two have each other. Just do me one favor."

"Anything," Meredith agreed.

"Don't lose sight of that," Samantha explained. "Don't forget about that moment where all you wanted was him. I've seen what things like what you went through do to people, to couples. Just promise me that you'll make it. Promise me that you'll rely on each other through this."

Meredith glanced at Derek. "I don't think you have to worry about that."

She leaned forward, offering her lips to Derek, who accepted them gladly. They shared a tender kiss for a moment before parting.

Derek cupped Meredith's cheek, caressing the soft skin softly with the pad of his thumb. "I'm not letting her go again."

"Okay," Samantha nodded. "Then, we're good. We'll call it even." She took a step backwards, moving closer to the door. "I need to go. I just, I needed to make sure that you were okay."

"Thank you," Meredith said. "Thank you for coming here… for everything."

"Yes, thank you." Derek added. "I cannot thank you enough."

"Just remember your promise," Samantha said. "And… call me sometime. I'd love to hear how you're doing."

Meredith smiled. "We will."

Samantha took one last look at the couple in bed before turning and walking out the door. She didn't know if Meredith or Derek would ever call her. She didn't know if she'd ever see them again. But she was grateful. She was grateful that Meredith was still alive. She was grateful that she had played a part in bringing them back together. She had helped two people survive by saving one of them, and that was all that mattered.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The Next Day

Derek had been awake for over an hour. Meredith was still curled around him, sleeping soundly for the first time since she had arrived at the hospital. He didn't know what was causing it to happen, but he didn't care. She was sleeping. There were no whimpers, no cries. No thrashing and no screams. She was peacefully asleep in his arms. Her head was resting firmly on his chest, so his movement was limited, but he didn't care because there were other things that he could be doing while she was sleeping like thinking about how he was going to take care of her when they got out of here. Or, thinking about how he was going to spend the rest of his life making sure that he was helping her, loving her, supporting her. He wanted to be everything to her for the rest of their lives, and it started now. So, while she slept, he was going to hold her, protect her, and allow her that time to recover from everything that had happened to her.

After Samantha had left yesterday, they had talked about the future. They had talked about what would happen when they were discharged, and they had decided that Derek would come live with Meredith. Derek had been willing to do whatever Meredith wanted. He just wanted to be there for her. But as they talked… as Meredith struggled with her turbulent emotions, Derek realized that she needed him to be the one to suggest it. She needed him to step up to the plate, to put his heart on the line. So, he had. He told her that he wanted to be with her; that he wanted to go home, with her. And she smiled. It wasn't a forced smile, or a sad smile. It was the first real smile he had seen on her face since all of this had started. It made his heart melt. It made the hope that he had carefully kept in the corner of his heart spread. They were going to be okay.

They were going to make it.

The door to their hospital room opened, revealing the Chief with two charts in his hands. Derek motioned for the Chief to be quiet, but the Chief shot him down immediately.

"I've got good news," the Chief said as he approached the bed.

Meredith stirred awake beside him. Derek looked down, making sure that as she awakened she recognized where she was. He tightened his arms around her as she twisted around in the covers to face the Chief.

Meredith yawned. "How can it be good news if you're waking me up?"

"Because," the Chief said as he thumbed through one of the charts in his hands. "You're being discharged today."

Meredith blinked. "Me?"

"Yes." The Chief nodded. "I'm sending you home."

"But…" Meredith swallowed. Panic settled into the pits of her stomach. "What about Derek? Can he – "

" – As you know, Derek's surgery was much more involved." The Chief interrupted. "I'm not sure it would be in his best interest – "

"I'm right here." Derek snapped. "Don't talk about me like I'm not in the room."

Meredith squeezed Derek's hand. "Derek…"

"No," Derek said, shaking his head. "I know I had surgery. I know that it takes time to recover. It's not like having surgery suddenly took away my knowledge and expertise as a neurosurgeon."

The Chief closed the chart in his hands. "I never said it did."

"I don't think I can do this." Meredith frowned. "I don't want to go home without Derek. I'm not sure… I just don't think it will be a good thing… for either of us."

Derek placed a soft kiss on Meredith's head. "We're going home together."

"Derek…" The Chief warned.

"Don't," Derek barked. "I know the risks. I know what to look for. Meredith knows what to look for. For God's sake, Richard, I'll be in a house with four other doctors, not including myself."

"Derek, you just had brain surgery," the Chief said impatiently. "Do you get that?"

Meredith pushed herself up in bed, straightening her back and pushing out her chin. "Of course he gets it. But we've been fine. Both of us have been fine. And I think what he's trying to say is that there will always be a doctor with him. I will be there and there are two other doctors that live in my mother's house with me. Don't treat us like regular patients. We're not."

"Meredith, with all due respect." The Chief sighed. "I just doing think you're in any position to be making sure that someone else is okay."

"What?" Meredith blinked.

"You've just been through a very traumatic event. I can't clear you to come back to work until a psychologist clears you. I don't think that sending Derek home under the pretense that you will always be with him is something that – "

"Richard, stop." Derek snapped again. "We're not having this discussion. Meredith knows that she will have to be cleared by a psychologist. We know what is in store for both of us before we can come back to work. But, this isn't your call. If you want me to sign the AMA paper before I leave I will. But I am leaving with Meredith."

Meredith curled further into Derek. "Or, I could just… I could stay here, Derek. I could just stay."

"No." Derek shook his head. "You need to go home. We both do." He moved his hands up and down her arms, needing to feel her skin against his own. "We need to move on from this point. We need to… get out of here and start to heal. I feel fine. I have since I woke up. Nothing has happened to indicate that I will have a problem." He leaned forward, kissing her gently. "We're going home together."

"Fine," the Chief said angrily. "You don't need to sign the AMA, but neither of you is coming back to work until a psychologist clears you. You got that?"

"Whatever," Derek said.

The Chief rolled his eyes. "Who do you want me to page?"

Meredith moved her hand up Derek's chest as her gaze met his. "Cristina. Could you page Cristina?"

"I'm sure Burke would take us if – "

"No," Meredith said. "It's… it's not that I don't want Burke, it's just… Cristina is trying. She's really trying to be there and I think this is a good way for her to help."

"Okay." Derek nodded. "That's okay."

"You sure?" Meredith asked.

Derek smiled down at her. "Of course. If you want it to be Cristina, it can be Cristina."

"But, what about what you want?"

"Mer." Derek sighed. "I want what you want. I want us to go home and however we get there doesn't matter to me."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes." Meredith confirmed. "Okay."

"I'll go ahead and page Yang then," the Chief said. He turned and glanced back at them as he neared the door. "Just take care of yourselves."

Derek nodded at the Chief, silently urging him to leave the room. Once he had walked through the doors, Derek pulled Meredith more firmly against him and pressed his lips firmly against hers. "We're going home."

"Yes." Meredith smiled. She pulled away from Derek's mouth smiling. "I'm glad we're going home… together."

"Me too." Derek agreed.

"Derek…"

"Yeah?"

"Is it going to be okay?" Meredith asked, the fear that had settled into her stomach getting the best of her. "Can we do this?"

Derek tightened his hold on her. "We can. We can do this together."

She smiled once more into his chest. That was all that she needed to hear. They could do this. They were going to do this. Together.

One more chapter and then the epilogue! Exciting! Thank you for reading... and help me keep my momentum going by leaving a review!